New beer distributor aims to change the game

Federal investigators and representatives of the National Transportation Safety Board, the FBI, state and local police, and the state game commission are working the area about 20 miles east of Lebanon. Most of the debris ranged from small pieces, to skateboard-sized or three-to-four feet in length.
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7 Cuz Beer, at 1740 Quentin Road in Lebanon, is out to change the way you think of your beer distributor.(Photo: Andrew Kulp, Lebanon Daily News)Buy Photo

The moment you walk inside 7 Cuz Beer Store in Lebanon, you know this isn’t just another beer distributor. It’s a one-stop shop for your party and entertaining needs.

Chips, pretzels and condiments. Soda, mixers and non-alcoholic beverages. Cups and paper towels. Games, glassware, T-shirts and knickknacks. Tobacco products, including a 300-square-foot humidor. And, of course, rows and rows of beer as far as the eye can see.

7 Cuz, in the Cedar Crest Square shopping center on Quentin Road, has plenty of beer, boasting Lebanon County’s largest selection. All the nationally recognized brands are here, as are a wide, ever-changing variety of craft brews and imports, available in sizes ranging from single bottles and cans to half-barrel kegs.

But beer you would expect. It’s everything else that sets 7 Cuz apart.

“If we can say, ‘Hey, come to the beer store, get your mixers, get some snacks,’ you might be able to eliminate two or three stops on your trip,” said Mike Musser, owner of 7 Cuz Beer Store.

If 7 Cuz looks and feels more like a supermarket than your typical beer distributor, that’s not by accident. Musser, one of seven cousins with a background in grocery, was underwhelmed by the beer-buying experience, which often entails walking into a warehouse or garage and searching through stacks of cases that may or may not have a price tags.

The fourth-generation owners of Musser’s Market, a grocery chain in Central Pennsylvania, were certain they could improve upon the distributor model.

“From a floor to a ceiling, to heating your building, to actual price stickers, organization – we always sat down and said, ‘I don’t understand,” said Musser.

Not surprisingly, 7 Cuz Beer Store is far more inviting than most distributors. It’s well lit, warm, clean, organized and every item on the shelves is tagged.

A well-appointed store alone might not be enough to draw some consumers, many of whom tend to choose their distributor based on proximity to their home or workplace. Adding tobacco into the equation, however, could turn 7 Cuz Beer Store into a destination.

Whether you’re looking for cigarettes, chewing tobacco or hand-rolled cigars from the humidor and cigar accessories, you’ll likely find what you need.

“Pretty much we have a full tobacco shop,” said Musser, who would know – he previously managed operations at the family-owned Genuine Tobacco shops.

“We’ve had 20 years of experience in the premium cigar market. The humidor to date is capable of being our biggest humidor yet.”

The humidor is currently 26 feet in length, with the potential to expand to 54 feet if the demand is there. It’s not terribly difficult to envision rapid growth, considering the markets for beer and tobacco frequently intersect.

And 7 Cuz nails the beer aspect of the business.

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The mix-a-six section 7 Cuz Beer Store is 24 feet and length and features some of the hottest craft brews in the market.(Photo: Andrew Kulp, Lebanon Daily News)

Timing helps. 7 Cuz opened in March, positioning the store to take advantage of the continuously relaxing laws that govern Pennsylvania distributors.

7 Cuz also sells anything related to beer. There’s apparel and other drinking paraphernalia on sale, including glassware, coolers and even kegerators.

“We can’t put a distributor in a supermarket, but the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board never said you can’t bring a supermarket to a distributor,” said Musser. “The idea was let’s try to smash Genuine Tobacco, let’s try to smash Musser’s Market into a distributor and try to merchandise it like a supermarket.

“Basically, it’s a supermarket of a distributor.”

7 Cuz Beer Store is at 1740 Quentin Road in Lebanon at the Cedar Crest Square shopping center. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

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7 Cuz Beer Store, located at 1740 Quentin Rd. in Lebanon, is out to change the way you think of your beer distributor.(Photo: Andrew Kulp, Lebanon Daily News)